HeartBeats
by TheGoldenHuntress
Summary: After Ward's betrayal, Skye is broken beyond belief, but when a certain red-headed assassin comes into her life, things could change for the better. That is at least, if they can figure out where Skye got these strange new powers. AU Post-Season 1 Natasha/Skye
1. This is When I Told You the Backstory

CHAPTER 1

The Playground

Status:

Active

Time:

09:00

Skye was stuck, both physically and mentally.

When Ward had betrayed his team for HYDRA, Skye had collapsed in on herself. Even now, when he was locked in their basement, she didn't know what to do. That psychopath had hurt Skye's friends. Fitz had permanent brain damage because of him! It wasn't fair that he received all the luxuries that came with being alive. He deserved to be dead, or worse. And Skye felt she was privy to delivering the 'or worse.'

It was one day, after an hour of intense training with Melinda May, Skye openly fell apart.

May was pulling Skye up off the mat when the older agent had, once again, won the sparring match. Dodging the hand, Skye performed a neat little flip and got herself up off the ground. She then proceeded to a nearby bench.

May raised one eyebrow.

"You been working on your acrobatics and didn't tell me?" she asked as she followed Skye to the bench and picked up her own water bottle. She took a small swig before she noticed that Skye wasn't talking, and she wasn't drinking any water. "You should drink your water, stay hydrated."

Skye didn't reply as she stared at the wall directly behind May.

"Skye," May said. "Skye, drink your water."

Skye, still staring at the wall, absentmindedly picked up her water bottle and took the tiniest of sips before setting the plastic container back on the bench.

May put down her own water, seeing that something was seriously wrong with her agent.

"Skye. Skye, what's wrong?" she asked. Skye stared at the wall as silence passed. "Skye, look at me."

Skye started to walk past May as she attempted to get to the safety of her bunk.

May stopped her and put both hands on her shoulders. "Skye, look at me."

Skye tore herself away from her S.O. and ran to her bunk, leaving a bewildered May in her wake.

No one knew why, but after that day, Skye wouldn't speak to anybody. She only ate food when Director Coulson, Agent May, or Dr. Simmons would force it down her throat. She trained harder and harder, caring less about what injuries she sustained from it. At some point, Coulson had to physically move her to her bunk because she had been working at the punching bag for five hours straight. Sleep was not a word in her vocabulary, and, whenever she couldn't keep herself awake, she had horrible nightmares of killing her team or being tortured.

The worst thing that was happening to Skye, however, was none of these things. No, the worst thing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that she was losing her memory. It became harder to put names to faces and vice versa. Coulson, May, and Jemma spent every day with Skye, hoping that she would never forget who they were. They all suggested Skye go to therapy when it became too much to ask of her to remember who Fitz was. Skye denied that she even needed the help. She didn't want it, and the whole team knew.

Skye continued her training with May, and soon she as better than her S.O., though, she always held back some during sparring.

Skye learned to shoot a gun, and, for an extra challenge, she taught herself to shoot a bow and arrow as well. She was an expert at both. She worked on her acrobatics, agility, and stamina, and she had already mastered every flip and roll there was in the entire world before she realized that her stamina was higher than that of a supersoldier. She was strong enough to lift at least ten times the strongest SHIELD agent, and she always amazed herself at how strong she was.

Skye still went on missions, mainly espionage since she had become an exceptional spy. Her skills rivaled those of the great Black Widow. Coulson and May, of course, hated having her out in the field, especially since she would never answer her communicator, but they also both admitted that she was the best agent they had.

When Fitz came back, Skye knew he was someone that she should remember by the the looks on everyone's faces, but all she knew was that he and Jemma were called Fitzsimmons. Skye hated herself for forgetting someone she knew was supposed to be her friend, and she had deemed herself unworthy of being around Fitz because of her memory loss.

Thankfully, everything changed on one of Skye's missions with May.


	2. This is When the Mission Started

_Please read Author's note at the end._

 _DISCLAIMER_

 _I don't own Marvel. I know. It's really sad._

 _Enjoy!_

H.Y.D.R.A. Base

Status:

Active

Time:

22:00

Skye rounded the corner, taking down another HYDRA agent with her fist as she swept along the freezing-cold corridors of the supposedly abandoned enemy base in Saskatchewan, Canada. The abandoned part had turned out to be false the moment Skye and May had landed in the nearby clearing. But Skye, being ever the silent optimist, had easily taken down the waiting enemy agents and continued along with their mission as if nothing had ever happened.

Of course, Skye always was unfazeable.

 _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 _Skye sat upright on the hospital bed, hardly containing the fact that she was in tremendous pain. However, when Coulson divulged to her what he saw in the Guest House, her mind immediately replaced the physical pain with mental turmoil._

 _An alien . . . Likely something extremely deadly . . . It's blood had been unwillingly injected into both her and Coulson._

 _Coulson's sudden exclamation brought her back to Earth. "Skye! I know nothing fazes you, but this should faze you!"_

 _Skye nodded along, not actually agreeing._

 _She was alive._

 _That's all that mattered._

 _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ ~

Skye was brought back to the current mission when May's voice sounded in her communicator. "Skye," she heard, "my side's clear, and according to my monitor, so is yours. Head over to the main console and do your thing. Rendezvous at the west entrance in ten minutes. If you're not there, I'll go back for you."

Skye nodded. She knew May wouldn't just leave her to fend for herself in the middle of a HYDRA base, abandoned or not. Still, it was comforting to the younger agent to be reminded that she, indeed, was not alone on these missions.

Skye ran to the main console, which was only a few halls away, taking out two agents along the way.

The main console was pretty unimpressive. It was just a laptop on a wooden desk in the middle of an otherwise equally unimpressive room. A single foldable metal chair was pushed in to the desk, and various filing cabinets and metal carts were strewn about. Skye had a better setup in her van. At least she had radio.

Skye sat in the chair, quickly whipping out her flash drive as she did so. Plugging it into the computer, she began typing furiously on the keyboard, transferring any and all HYDRA files to a safe SHIELD account and using her flash drive as a backup.

So deeply engrossed in the task at hand, even Skye's acute ninja-like detection skills couldn't have noticed the two agents sneaking up behind her.

She did, however, notice when bullets started flying past her, missing her only by inches.

Attuned to this abrupt change in scenery, Skye shut the laptop, pulled out the flash drive, and flipped over to the other side of the table all in a matter of seconds.

Sensing that she was not the original person fired upon, Skye scanned her surroundings for a new intruder.

Two people caught her eye, but she never would have guessed it was them.

 _Author's_ _Note_

Oh! Cliffhanger! I know! I'm so evil! Really hope you enjoyed this chapter of _HeartBeats._ Please feel free to leave reviews. Anything and everything is accepted, but, for the sake of my low self-esteem, please consider what you're actually saying. Shout-outs to _Lilomaus223_ , _f00f00, , pitchslapped91, FabinaForever11, Divine Fighter, Tamara, CM6SHIELD6PLL6,_ and _SerenityKieraSilverwind._ Y'all left great reviews on the last chapter, and I'm glad to see you're excited for more. P.S. _Divine Fighter_ and _Lilomaus223,_ I suggest you head over to read a couple of my Skye/Natasha favorites. Check out _PietroLives_ and his _TheMaximoffs_ series. Loads of fun and changes there. Hopefully I'll be back to upload soon. Until then, my friends!


	3. This is When the Mission Went South

_DISCLAIMER_

 _I still don't own Marvel. I know. It's even sadder than last time._

 _Graphic Scenes in this Chapter! Read at your own Risk!_

 _Enjoy!_

Decked out in patriotic suit with an iconic weapon in hand, Steve Rogers, A.K.A. Captain America, sat crouched behind a filing cabinet, staying safe from the barrage of bullets. If this wasn't curious enough, only a few yards from the American war hero was the equally if not more impressive red-headed ex-assassin, donned in leather suit and a pistol in each hand, Natasha Romanoff, A.K.A. Black Widow.

Skye had never been so shocked in her life, not when SHIELD picked her up from her van, when Ian Quinn shot her, when Coulson told her about GH 325, when Ward betrayed them. Never did she think she would see not one, but two Avengers. In person. In the middle of a firefight.

 _The Fight!_

Skye needed to keep her head in the game.

Letting training take over, Skye flipped back over the table and analyzed everything in front of her with tremendous speed.

Eight heavily armed HYDRA agents were standing straight up in wall formation, firing bullet after bullet. If they hadn't given the enemy the chance to pin them down, Black Widow and Captain America could have easily taken down the guards. Skye questioned for a moment why the Captain didn't just run up with his shield and bash some of these guys' heads in.

Upon further inspection, Skye saw that from the way Natasha was holding herself, she had a broken leg. It appeared the Captain had a broken arm.

Running forward into the action, Skye took down the first two guards with quick blows to the head.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" Skye heard Natasha shout as another group of guards entered the room.

Skye blocked the next guard's fist from her face, returning it with a kick to the groin that sent him to the ground.

As five more guards joined the fight, Skye saw May enter the room, worry clearly plastered on her face as she watched Skye fight.

Bashing the heads of two guards together, Skye saw that fifteen more guards still remained. Somehow, Skye had no idea what happened for this to occur, Natasha was _struggling._

Five guards were backing her up in a corner, both parties seemingly having run out of bullets. It seemed that HYDRA was going to win as a single guard raised a gun and took a shot.

To this day, no one knows exactly what happened next. Skye was caught up in the moment.

A bullet was fired at Natasha. Skye dove in front of her. She could feel the bullet embedding itself into her chest. May screamed for Skye, desperately hoping against all odds that the girl she had come to see as a daughter would be okay.

The guards left, apparently deeming their achieved destruction enough. This left the two Avengers and the three SHIELD agents alone with a girl on her death bed.

Skye didn't know what was going on around her. She knew that there was a giant pool of blood on her black mission suit, and her mind was briefly brought back to the day Quinn shot her. She could feel the hole in her chest. For the first time in ages, she was completely astounded. She could practically see the white tunnel in front of her.

The white was suddenly clouded by a ball of red.

Skye tried her hardest to focus on the image of Natasha just in front of her eyes. Losing her concentration for a moment, Skye was interrupted by a coughing fit. She could feel the splattering of liquid on her face; she could taste the metallic fluid in her mouth. _Blood_.

May and Steve Rogers soon joined the picture of people just above Skye's head. She was vaguely aware of the pressure Natasha was applying to the bullet wound, but Skye knew it was of no use.

She was going to die.

May spoke to Skye, attempting to keep the young agent awake as her eyes began fluttering. May knew. If Skye went asleep, the odds were 99 to 1 that she would wake up again.

"Skye," she said. "Skye, you have to stay awake. You have to stay awake until we get you back to Simmons. Okay?"

May didn't know why she still asked questions.

Skye had never answered before.

Understanding what May was doing, Steve and Natasha also attempted keeping Skye awake as she coughed up another cup's worth of blood.

It was Natasha's voice that reached Skye's void.

"Kid," she said, "what the hell were you thinking?" Skye could hear the worry in her voice. But that wasn't right, was it? The Black Widow didn't worry. "You should've left the guards to me."

Skye coughed up some more, red splattering her face as warm blood continued to push against Natasha's hands. One word. She just needed to get out one word. In the biggest voice she could manage, which was still tiny and raspy, Skye said one word before falling into darkness.

"Sorry."

 _Author's Note_

I wonder what happens next! Writing this just gets more and more exciting! Shout-outs to _Lilomaus223, aoslover2001, SLYNNR,_ and _Tamara_ for reviews on the last chapter. I really do appreciate it. I've decided that with each chapter I'll add a recommendation in the Author's Note for a good A.o.S. story. This week's is Skye-centric, SkyeWard pairing. It's called _Her Story Started Here._ I've read this one dozens of times, and I'd love if you all could check out the first chapter as well. Until then, my friends!


	4. This is When Skye Fixed Herself

_Disclaimer!_

 _I don't own Marvel. Those rights go to the amazing Stan Lee._

 _Also, this chapter will be from Natasha's point-of-view._

 _Enjoy!_

Last Time in HeartBeats

" _You should've left the guards to me."_

 _Skye coughed up some more, red splattering her face as warm blood continued to push against Natasha's hands. One word. She just needed to get out one word. In the biggest voice she could manage, which was still tiny and raspy, Skye said one word before falling into darkness._

" _Sorry."_

Begin Chapter 4

Natasha watched helplessly as Skye's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Damnit!" she swore. To her right, and on Skye's other side, the ex-assassin saw her old partner, Melinda May, show some real emotion for the first time in years. She wasn't crying. That came later when they found alcohol. But she was clearly holding back a barrage of swear words and curses for anyone who dared to talk to her.

Steve, being ever the faithful soldier, checked the girl's pale neck for a pulse.

He looked at May. "She's alive, just barely."

Natasha could see the relief flooding May. The redhead felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders with this news. After all, this girl had taken the bullet for Natasha, and now she was only inches from death.

"We need to get her to a secure medical facility," May said.

Natasha racked her brain for where to get the girl a doctor when an idea popped into her head. "Stark!"

Steve nodded in understanding. Gently taking the limp girl from Natasha, Steve picked her up in his arms and cradled her head close to his body, wanting to keep her as safe as possible.

"Nat?" May asked, not knowing what was going on. She got up, pulling Natasha with her.

Natasha followed Steve stride for stride as the three rushed out of the base. "Cap and I came here with Stark and Barton on one of Tony's jets. He'll have something to help her there."

May nodded in understanding when they stepped out into the clearing where Stark's jet was, hidden with cloaking technology. "As much as I really want to go with you—"

Natasha frowned. "Well that doesn't sound good."

May sighed. "I need to report back to the boss, or he'll think we're both dead." Natasha winced. One of them practically was.

Natasha nodded. "Steve, go on ahead to the jet I'll join you in a sec." Like a soldier, Steve obeyed orders and hurried on to the plane that magically uncloaked itself.

"Nat?" May asked.

"Meet us at Avengers Tower as soon as possible. Bring your boss and your team. Just bring anyone that loves this girl, because I have a feeling that whatever the news is, it won't be good. Go, Mel. She'll be fine."

May nodded reluctantly and left Natasha to catch up to Steve, who had just made it to the edge of the ramp.

Steve looked at Natasha and noticed something. "Where's Agent May?"

"She went to back to report to her boss. She and her team are going to meet us at the Tower as soon as she can. FYI, the girl's name is Skye. Now, we got to get her to Stark without worrying him."

Steve laughed slightly. Of course Stark was going to worry. A beautiful young girl, who just so happens to be a secret agent, showed up dead on his door-step.

When Steve stepped into the mission room of the jet where Stark and Clint were waiting, Natasha could not have been more annoyed with the famed Iron Man's reaction.

"Who the hell is this kid, Cap?" Tony shouted.

Steve tried to begin explaining. "Tony, we—"

"And what happened on the mission? Comms went down!"

"Tony—"

"I was going to go looking for you!"

"Tony!" Natasha shouted, completely out of character. "The girl is dying! Can you help her or not?"

Finally understanding the seriousness of the situation, Tony nodded his head. "Follow me."

Turning down a few halls, Tony soon reached a small medical room (just picture the one that Skye was in after Quinn shot her), and he opened the door for Steve to enter.

Turning down a few halls, Tony soon reached a small medical room, and he opened the door for Steve to enter.

The Captain lay Skye down on the bed gently and moved back to the doorway where Natasha and now Clint were waiting for Tony to get to work.

Tony immediately paled upon noticing where the bullet had torn through her body.

"Oh God."

"Tony?" Natasha asked when Stark had remained silent for a few moments. If Skye was in danger, she needed to know.

"Th-the bullet . . . it went straight through her heart. . . ."

Natasha could feel her insides turning at the thought of her Skye getting hurt because of the ex-assassin herself. And yes. She did mean _her_ Skye.

Steve must have noticed where Natasha's thoughts were heading, because he lightly tapped her on the shoulder to bring her back to Earth.

"Can't you do anything to help her?" Clint asked, knowing that Natasha would not be speaking cognitively anytime soon.

Tony shook his head, looking astonishedly at the three in the doorway. "She's helping herself."

Natasha looked up at Tony. He seemed genuinely surprised, but what could shock Iron Man?

"What do you mean, Stark? What's going on?" Steve asked, confused.

"Her cells must regenerate at an exponential rate. Her skin is closing around the wound, and aside from the stains, it seems as if nothing has happened. To put it simply, this girl has healed herself."

 _Author's Note_

Skye is alive, but at what cost? And what are these strange new thoughts Natasha has for Skye? Let's figure it out in the next chapter. Huge thanks to _Divine Fighter, Tamara, SLYNNR, Tsune-sama,_ and a guest. I really appreciate the reviews you guys left on chapter 3. Today's recommended story is _Answers_ by _Butterfly2402._ I've been reading it for the last week, and I really love it. Be looking out for another chapter of _HeartBeats_ soon. Until then, my friends!


	5. This is When She Woke Up

_Disclaimer!_

 _I do not, and likely never will, own Marvel. Stan Lee beat me to it._

 _Any medical terms in this chapter may be a bit skewed due to my lack of knowledge on the subject. I do NOT mean to offend anyone._

 _Enjoy!_

Avengers Tower

Status:

Impaired

Time:

08:00

Skye opened her eyes and groggily wiped at her face. She saw that she was in an extremely bright white room. It reminded her exactly of that horrifying med-pod she'd been in only a few months ago. She needed to get out. She couldn't remember what had happened this time to put her in a bad situation. She couldn't feel any injuries. Maybe she had just passed out or something.

Regardless of what had happened, Skye didn't really care, and she needed to get out of that room. She hated hospitals, doctors, and the like.

Skye threw the white sheets off of her body and swung her legs to the edge of the bed. Springing into a standing position, Skye noticed a clean change of clothes on a plastic chair. Getting dressed in record time, Skye slipped on her boots and quietly left the room, hoping against all odds that she wouldn't run into anybody.

However, as soon as Skye left the room, she realized that she had no idea where she was. She certainly wasn't on the Bus, and she wasn't at the medical facility at the Playground.

 _So . . . where am I?_

Skye tried to think back and remember any clue as to where she could be, but she had no idea. The last thing she remembered was some red-haired lady telling her that she should've done something. Not very helpful.

A sudden grunting noise brought Skye out of her thoughts. Then it sounded again. Over and over the noise came. Skye thought it sounded like someone hitting a punching bag. Naturally, she followed the noise down a few empty hallways until she reached a huge gym.

The room was filled with dozens of treadmills, punching bags, weight-lifting machines, ellipticals, cycles, and the entire floor was composed of gym mats.

But it wasn't any of this that caught Skye's attention. No, it was the person madly attacking the punching bag in the middle of the room.

May.

Skye cautiously approached May, whose back was turned to the younger agent. Putting a hand on her shoulder to indicate her presence, Skye waited for whatever scolding was bound to come. It seemed she was always in trouble. However, when May turned to face Skye, the only thing the older agent could do was try not to faint.

Taking a step back, May stuttered a bit, trying to find the words. Eventually, all she managed to choke out was a very quiet, "Skye?"

Skye nodded, wondering why May would be so surprised to see her.

"Skye, how are you—"

May was cut off when an interesting and beautiful-looking redhead entered the gym. Exchanging no words, she took Skye by the arm and led her away to a different room.

It was quite obviously a bedroom, but it was nice and simple. A single king-sized bed with checkered black-and-red sheets sat in the middle of the room, and the only other furniture was a desk, a few chairs, a nightstand, and a dresser, all in simple wooden colours.

The woman, who Skye had yet to place a name to, seemed very impatient, but at the same time, she also seemed like she wanted desperately for something she thought she'd never have.

Skye waited for the woman to say something, and she was not disappointed when, after a moment, the redhead girl spoke up.

"What the hell were you thinking, kid?"


	6. This is When They Saw Skye

_Disclaimer!_

 _I do not own Marvel or any of that. That came from another brilliant mind._

 _I apologize ahead of time for any wrong terminology on the medical things._

 _That's not exactly my field of study._

 _Enjoy!_

Skye looked at the red-headed woman in front of her. She knew, she just _knew_ that she should have known this person, but she couldn't remember for the life of her.

Natasha continued to stare at the girl in front of her.

She seemed oddly out of place, like she had no idea what was going on. A sudden thought struck Natasha.

"Skye," she said, almost in a whisper. "Do you remember what happened?"

She could see her eyes searching, looking for any information on the subject matter, but it came up with nothing.

Natasha ventured for another question, a far more important one. "So . . . you don't remember . . . who I am?"

Skye shook her head no almost immediately, and it practically broke Natasha's heart to see a girl, clearly extremely talented, but completely lost in a world that she should've known.

Natasha could've cried right then and there . . . but she couldn't. She needed to stay strong, for Skye.

Taking Skye by the wrist, Natasha led Skye to the lab, where she knew Tony and Bruce would be, and that British doctor (Emma, or something like that), and maybe even that Scottish guy.

Running into no one in the halls, Natasha was very pleased that Skye was at least not arguing to what she was doing. In reality, the brunette had probably learned by then to just go with the flow, roll with the punches.

Arriving unseen in the doorway of the lab, Natasha let go of Skye's hand and garnered everyone's attention (the Avengers and the whole team, Coulson's reappearance had been taken rather lightly, everyone just glad he was alive) by saying rather loudly, "Which one of you wants to help Skye first?"

At the mention of Skye's name, everyone effectively dropped what they were doing and turned straight to the girl who, quite frankly, should've been dead.

Natasha could see May's discreet calculating glances, Bobbi and Hunter's outright astounded faces, Jemma's worry that Skye was already moving about after having just been shot through the heart, Fitz' broad grin at seeing that Skye was alive and well, and even Coulson's straightforward "how-the-hell-are-you-alive-right-now" look.

Clint was looking at Skye appraisingly, just as Steve and Thor were. Bruce was just shocked. Oddly enough, Tony was standing just as a proud father would when his daughter has accomplished something incredibly taxing.

Natasha, needing to break everyone out of their thoughts and not wanting Skye in the room for the following conversation, said to Skye, "Skye, I want you to go back to the gym. Hang out there until I get you. Okay?"

Skye nodded silently and left the room, eager to get away from the crazy people staring at her for no reason.

Not even a minute later, Natasha asked Bobbi, "Can you keep an eye on her? Make sure she doesn't hurt anything, or herself."

Bobbi nodded with the tiniest of smiles and set off after Skye at a brisk pace.

Left with the huge group that remained, Natasha needed to restore some order to the people still staring at the spot where Skye once was.

Clearing her throat, she asked the room in general, "How long has Skye been losing her memory?"

Jemma was the first to respond, always on top of medical details. "Her memory began deteriorating six months ago. She began to just lose sense of time. An hour became a minute; a minute became a second. She would have what to us is a gap in her memories of three months, but to her it happened only a day ago. Then she began to forget things that her brain didn't think were significant: smaller missions, agents around the base, reasons behind actions. If not presented with a face every day, Skye would forget who they were, only having inklings of a trait or a name, even if they were once a very significant part in her life."

Jemma stole a glance at Fitz, and it was clear to everyone in the room that Fitz was that someone.

Natasha absorbed all this information at once, wanting to remember it for Skye, to tell her some time.

Natasha approached May and Coulson, who were standing next to each other. "Which one of you is closer to her?" she asked bluntly.

Coulson answered, "May," and the other woman had no objection, Though she didn't look the part, May was a highly protective person of anyone she cared about, and it was obvious, at least to Team Delta Strike Six, that May took Scare of Skye as if she were her own daughter.

Natasha nodded and continued to the next person she wanted to ask questions of: Hunter. "Hunter, how long have you known Skye?"

Clearly intimidated by the presence of the Black Widow, Hunter stuttered out, "O-only a-a few months."

"And how long has she remembered you?"

Hunter furrowed his brows trying to think. "Maybe a few weeks."

Natasha nodded. Not good.

Well, she had all her data. Now she needed to perform the experiment.

Walking back to the gym, Natasha saw Bobbi physically pulling Skye away from the punching bag, but Skye was relentless. Lashing out her fist at Bobbi, the brunette hit the blond square in the eye with a right hook, effectively making Bobbi let go of her.

Wanting to prevent any further injury, Natasha called Bobbi over, and let Skye attack the punching bag.

Just as Bobbi was about to leave, she stopped right in front of Natasha and said, "Is it true? Did she actually talk to you?"

Natasha was confused by the genuine curiosity in the blonde's eyes. Snorting slightly, she answered, "She said one word to me. I'm not sure if that's what you call talking, but—"

Bobbi cut her off. "For, Skye, that's an entire conversation. She hasn't said one word for about six months. Call it a selective mute, but this, her saying even that one words, means something. It means something about what she thinks about you."

Bobbi left the gym, leaving the red-head to think over these things.

And with this new information, Natasha headed to the punching bag, more eager than ever, to learn why Skye had chosen her of all people to talk to. There was also that undiscussed fact between members of the team and the Avengers that Skye had completely sealed a hole in the heart all on her own. But that conversation was for another day.

 _Author's Note_

I know right. You hate when I end it just as it's getting good. I'm sorry, but I'm still in school, and I've got a bit more homework and studying to do. I promise I'll get a chapter out tomorrow though. I'd like to give shout-outs to _Divine Fighter, Tamara, SLYNNR, ,_ and _Tsune-sama_ for reviews on chapters 4 and 5. I really appreciate your guys' feedback so I know what you like to read. Be on the look-out for another chapter tomorrow. And it's time for the sign-out. Until then, my friends!


	7. This is When They Kissed

_Disclaimer!_

 _I don't own Marvel. It gets sadder very day._

 _Hope you enjoy this chapter. A LOT will be going on._

 _Contains minor cursing._

 _SPOILER!_

 _Don't read if you don't like kissing!_

 _Enjoy!_

Natasha approached Skye who was beating the crap out of the punching bag and facing the opposite direction. Standing just a foot behind the brunette, the ex-assassin asked, "Why are you angry? Or, I suppose a better question is: why are you angry with yourself?"

It was strange how Natasha could read Skye. Sure, she was a secret super-spy, but she was interpreting emotions that many people didn't even think existed. That was indeed strange.

Skye took a moment to think of an answer, never once pausing her assault on the bag. With a grunt, she said, "I can't remember someone who I'm supposed to be friends with. I can't remember why the hell I woke up in a hospital room. Can't remember who you are."

Natasha quirked an eyebrow. "Then why do you trust me?"

Skye didn't waste a second answering this one. "Because," she stated simply, "May trusts you, so do Jemma and Bobbi. That's enough for me."

Natasha filed this information away into her head as another punch was delivered to the punching bag, effectively breaking it open.

Pellets spilled out onto the floor and Skye sighed aloud. Natasha was impressed. Even she couldn't destroy a bag that easily. Though she was astounded by Skye's strength, Natasha knew that this was certainly not good for her health. Natasha was even more disappointed in Skye when she saw the girl's bloody hands. Of course. She hadn't used any wraps. No wonder Bobbi had tried to get Skye off the bag. She was hurting herself.

Just as Skye was about to move on to another one of the punching bags in the room, Natasha stopped her by saying, "Skye, you have to stop. You're hurting yourself."

Skye turned to look at Natasha, and what Natasha saw in her eyes was alarming.

There was no fire. There was no curiosity or shock. There was no understanding, desire, joy, sadness. There was nothing. Her eyes were empty, void of any emotion, completely . . . hollow.

Now Natasha wanted to know. What had hurt her Skye? What had damaged her girl to the point of complete brokenness? Natasha wanted, no, _needed_ to know, and when she learned who had done this . . . well, they would be spared no fury.

Skye walked straight past Natasha and toward yet another punching bag. Well, she tried to, but the red-head stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

Staring directly into Skye's eyes, Natasha faced her straight-on, preventing any ways of escape for the younger girl. "Skye," Natasha said, "what's the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know," Skye answered, though she was desperate to know what had last happened to her.

"Just think, Skye."

She needed to remember.

"I don't know!"

"Yes, you do. Now, try harder! What happened?"

She needed to know.

"Th-there was a HYDRA base!"

The tiniest of sparks went off in Skye's eyes.

"Okay. What happened there?"

"I don't know—"

"Yes, _you do._ Now tell me what happened there."

Skye's eyes searched. They searched the ground, the ceiling, the walls. They searched Natasha's face for something, _anything._ But—

"You," Skye said, looking into Natasha's eyes. The Black Widow could see something in her eyes, an understanding . . . a revelation. "We were there. You, Steve, May, and I were all there. The HYDRA guards came in, but you were—they backed you up. I-I took a bullet for you. Fitz—oh god, Fitz. I didn't know, but now—"

Natasha smiled wider than she had for years. She remembered. "You remember?"

Skye nodded, also smiling. "Yeah, I remember."

And all in one breath, Natasha said, "Good. I wouldn't feel right kissing you if you didn't know me."

"What—"

Natasha reached up and gently pressed her lips against Skye's for only a moment before pulling back. Searching Skye's eyes for a sign, Natasha was relieved and pleased to see that the younger agent was happy.

Natasha threw her arms around Skye's neck, and Skye's arms went around her waist. Leaning in toward each other, their lips connected a second time, more hungry and desperate than the last time.

Natasha parted her lips to allow Skye's tongue entrance into her mouth. It sent shivers down her spine to be so close to the person that she was slowly realizing she loved. Natasha moaned into Skye's mouth, enjoying every second of their interaction. Skye's hands were tangled in Natasha's hair, and the red-head's arms were strewn around the brunette's shoulders, effectively pushing them together.

When Skye was finished, Natasha explored her mouth, enjoying every second of it. To her, Skye tasted like a fresh spring and spearmint.

Never once breaking apart, the kiss, or rather, the make-out session, lasted around five minutes, far too short for either woman's liking.

Pulling back from Skye just far enough to look into her eyes, Natasha studied every feature of Skye's face, knowing that the younger agent was doing the same.

"Wow," Skye breathed.

"Yeah," Natasha agreed, breathing heavily.

After a moment's pause, Natasha asked with the utmost confidence in the world, "Skye, will you be my girlfriend?"

Skye smiled anxiously. "I'd love to be your girlfriend, Natasha."

Natasha slid her arm down until she was holding Skye's hand. "Thank you. You won't regret this. Now, how about we get back to the lab before Coulson thinks something's up? Plus, I think you should talk to Bobbi."

Skye's face took on a confused expression "Why do I need to talk to Bobbi?"

Natasha sighed as she looked at her partner. "You may or may not have done something to her. Look, don't worry about it. She'll be—"

Skye's breathing rate began rapidly increasing. She swore as she let go of Natasha's hand, letting it fly to her own forehead. "God damnit! I hurt her, didn't I?"

"Skye, I'm sure you just—"

"I did!" Skye's breathing was now erratic, and Natasha was worried.

Skye could feel her chest tightening, feel a fire scorching her heart.

"Nat, I— _AAAAAAHHH!"_

" _Skye!"_

 _Author's Note_

Oh, how I love cliffhangers! They did it, guys! Nat and Skye finally kissed! Hurrah! I'm sorry my updating schedule is off. It's SAT week for my school right now, but I promise I'll update every day during spring break. Thanks to _SLYNNR, Tamara, , Divine Fighter, Mcheatham21, and AnaScigliani_ for reviews on chapter 6. I really appreciate all the support every single one of you has shown for this story, which is, believe it or not, my first fanfiction. Today's recommendation is a fun little one-shot called _Unexpected Visit_ by _ShipperKid._ Be looking out for a new chapter soon. Here comes the outro. Until then, my friends!


	8. This is When I Apologized

I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated lately, guys. I've been going through a bit of trouble with my family, and I haven't had a chance to write a chapter. I promise, I'll write as soon as I can. Again, sorry for not keeping up on updates. It isn't fair to you, but I will try harder to find time for another chapter. Until then, my friends. . . .


	9. This is When They All Found Out

_Disclaimer!_

 _I don't own Marvel._

 _I apologize ahead of time for any wrong medical terminology in this chapter._

 _Enjoy!_

Avengers Tower

Status:

Undetermined

Time:

14:00

Skye blinked her eyes open groggily. However, she was wide awake when she saw Natasha hovering over her with a hand on the brunette's forehead. The red-head was smiling at Skye, but it immediately turned to a frown when Skye groaned loudly.

"Skye, are you okay?"

Skye shook her head no. "My heart feels like it's on fire, and my whole body would much rather die right now."

Natasha ran her hand through Skye's hair. "About that . . . Skye, I have to tell you something that could make you freak out. But, we'll work something out. Okay?"

"What happened, Nat?" Skye asked impatiently.

Natasha sighed. "When you were shot, the bullet went straight through your heart. Steve, May, and I were all too caught up in the moment to realize it, but you should've been dead. But you weren't. Your heart was still beating somehow after it had been literally ripped open, and when—When Steve and I took you to Stark to see if he could help you, he saw something. Skye, your heart . . . was _whole._ You healed yourself. Now, Jemma's done some research—"

"No," Skye mumbled while Natasha continued talking. "No, no, no, _no_."

"And she determined that healing your heart took a lot of energy and put you under a lot of stress. I'm not sure how all the dots connected, but that's why you passed out. The strain of suddenly remembering was too much for your body to handle."

Skye let a few tears fall down her face, making Natasha's soul ache for the girl.

"Oh, Skye."

Natasha moved the hand that was running through Skye's hair to her face, wiping away the tears with her thumb and cupping Skye's cheek gently.

"Nat . . ." Skye said. "I shouldn't be _alive_."

"Don't say that, Skye. You shouldn't have been shot in the first place, and I'm sorry for that. I don't have an explanation for this . . . _thing,_ but I am eternally thankful for it. You should be too."

Skye looked up at her girlfriend, thanking her lucky stars that they were together. She smiled weakly up at the red-head from her hospital bed.

"I'm glad I'm alive. I really am, but . . ."

"But what?" Natasha asked urgently yet gently.

"What does this mean? I healed myself, but how? I don't know what's happening to me, and I-I'm . . . I'm _scared_."

Natasha kissed Skye gently on the cheek. "I know you're scared, and that there's nothing I can say to fix that. But I also know that you're strong. I know you'll get through this, Skye."

Skye smiled. "Thanks, Nat."

After a few more moments of just sitting there and enjoying each other's company, Natasha spoke up. "Skye, it's been a while since you passed out, and the others still think that you're unconscious. All the girls freaked out a bit when I called everyone to the gym. I didn't tell them what happened, just that you started screaming. Simmons took over from there. I know everyone's worried about you. Do you think you're up for some company?"

Skye moaned as she held onto Natasha's hand. "But _you're_ company."

Natasha smiled. It was amazing Skye could still joke after everything. "Skye," she warned."

"Oh, alright," Skye pouted. "I want to see them, especially Bobbi and Fitz. Plus I could use some meds from Simmons. Bring 'em in."

Natasha nodded at Skye's requests and gave Skye a quick peck on the forehead. Just as she was exiting the room, she called back to Skye, "I also told everyone you're my girlfriend. But don't worry! They're cool with it," and Natasha left.

Skye gaped in shock at Natasha's retreating back. She knew the Black Widow was sneaky, but never would she have dreamed that the famed red-head was evil.

Not a moment later, the entire team and the Avengers returned, Natasha leading the charge.

Skye was bombarded with questions of what happened and little statements of gratitude like "I'm glad you're okay," and even Tony's "She's alive!" that strongly resembled Dr. Frankenstein. Skye found it all very heartwarming, and she would've loved to answer their questions if Jemma hadn't appeared at the front of the group, looking extremely worried for her little sister in all but blood.

"Skye?" she asked in a small voice, immediately making all the others shut up. "Are you okay?"

Skye smiled a goofy smile. "Oh yeah. I'm great. You know, it's not every day that you pass out."

To her surprise, Jemma smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see that you're still our hilarious Skye."

Skye smiled genuinely at her favorite doctor. "Why would I ever change? But . . . to answer the "Are you okay," from earlier, I could use some painkillers." It was then that Skye saw a perfect opportunity to showcase her remembrance of Fitz. "Maybe you can get Fitz to engineer some high-tech painkiller that you only ever need to take once."

Simmons stared open-mouthed, along with the rest of the room, but it was Fitz who spoke up. Completely cured of memory relapses and speech impediments with the power of science, Fitz said very clearly and coherently, "You remember me?"

Skye couldn't helped but feel touched at the pleasant reaction. "Yeah," she said simply.

"Let's test her," Tony stated aloud, much to Natasha's chagrin. The last thing she wanted was for Skye to be showcased like she was some science experiment. "What is Fitz' full name and occupation?"

Skye smiled. "Easy. Agent Leopold Fitz of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a level seven Engineer and an excellent impressionist if I remember our first undercover mission correctly. Does that sound about right, Fitz?"

Fitz nodded, dumbstruck. "You really remember me?" he asked once more after a moment's pause.

"Yeah," Skye said sweetly. "I really do."

There was not a single person in that room that went unaffected by the heartwarming moment between Fitz and Skye.

Breaking the comfortable silence in the air, Skye looked at Bobbi, who was sporting a neat rim of black all around her left eye. Skye winced. "Did I really do that much damage?" she asked worriedly.

Bobbi shook her head quickly, even though it was obvious to all that the injury must have hurt quite a bit. "I'm fine, Rockstar. It's just a black eye. It'll go away soon enough."

Skye still wasn't convinced. "I'm really sorry for that, but are you sure you're alright? 'Cause I-"

"Really, Skye. I'm good. I'd be more worried about you. Didn't you say you needed painkillers."

It was then that Skye remembered the burning pain in her chest that was slowly eating her alive. She winced what must have been imperceivable to all but Natasha.

Jemma ushered everyone out of the room, including Natasha, somehow, and proceeded to check Skye's vitals.

"Blood circulation is ten above normal. Heart rate is 40 bpm. Well, isn't this peculiar?"

Skye raised an eyebrow at Simmons' musings. "What's peculiar?"

"Well, your heart rate is 40 beats per minute, which in itself is unusual, as many well-trained athletes have between thirty-five and forty-five bpm, but, taking your recent phenomenon, caloric intake, and the increased rate of blood circulation, I'd assume it would be higher, at least 80."

Skye smiled. "You're great, Jem. You really are, but I didn't understand a word you just said."

Jemma smiled as she flipped a switch on one of the tubes connected to Skye's arms. "Don't worry about it. Dr. Banner and I can do some research on it later. For now, you just rest and let the painkillers kick in. I'll send Agent Romanoff in for you."

Skye grinned goofily as soon as the door closed behind Natasha only a moment later. "What's up, Nat? How's your day been?"

Natasha smirked as she sat in the plastic chair next to Skye. "Mostly I've been worrying about this brown-haired girl I know. She went and decided it was a good idea to pass out on me right after I kissed her."

Skye whined at that. "I didn't _try_ to pass out! It just . . . happened."

Natasha smiled at her girlfriend. "I know, Skye. I'm just teasing."

Skye nodded at this. Glancing at that uncomfortable-looking chair, she pushed herself to the edge of the bed, so she only took up one half of the stark-white hospital bed.

"What are you doing?" Natasha laughed as she watched Skye struggling to move due to the constricting IVs in her arms.

Skye answered gently, almost like this one action would mean the world to her if fulfilled. "You looked uncomfortable, and I really don't want to be in this bed alone right now. Come here."

Natasha ditched the chair almost immediately, in favor of lying down right beside her girlfriend. She had to admit, she was more comfortable, and only a quarter of that had to do with being in the bed. The other three-quarters . . . Those went to the beautiful doe-eyed girl facing her, curling into her, just _enjoying_ Natasha's presence.

Skye's voice in the quiet startled Natasha, but she had to say, she loved what she heard.

"Thank you, Natasha . . . for everything, getting me to Stark after the mission, helping me remember, being with me when I woke up, for now, _everything._ "

Natasha only said one sentence in answer, but it held the world's meaning. "For you, I'd do anything, sweetheart."

 _Author's Note_

I know! It took me forever to write another chapter, and I'm really sorry! But I'm back now! I really hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter and all the little moments between Natasha and Skye. I really loved writing it! Thank you to _SLYNNR, Tamara, Divine Fighter, SerenityKieraSilverwind,_ and _FabinaForever11_ for wonderful reviews on chapter seven! I really appreciate the support every single one of my readers has shown, even if you don't leave a review. It means a lot to me that you take to the time to read my story. Be on the look-out for a new chapter soon! Until then, my friends!


	10. This is When They Did That Naughty Thing

_Disclaimer!_

 _I don't own Marvel._

 _PLEASE READ THIS!_

 _This chapter is rated M for EIGHTEEN AND UP because of sexual scenes._

 _Enjoy!_

Avengers' Tower

Status:

Impaired

Time:

03:00

 _She was standing in the middle of the woods, towering trees all around her. It wasn't the type of forest where horror movies took place. No, it was the kind of woods that you would go hiking through, where birds were chirping in the trees, the sun shone through the clearing, where a young camper would tease his sister with a snake._

 _Skye was in the clearing. It was beautiful to her, calm, quiet, and Natasha was there. Skye was standing a few feet from the red-head. They both wore identical smiles, thrilled to be in each other's company._

 _They weren't talking or doing anything really, just looking at each other._

 _At least, they were._

 _A shot rang out, and Natasha fell to the ground, blood gushing from her stomach._

 _Skye tried to move, tried to scream, but nothing happened. Her legs were rooted to the spot, and her voice didn't work. She was forced to just stand there and look on helplessly as her lover bled to death._

 _Skye watched as the flicker of light died in Natasha's eyes, as the flow of blood halted, having run out of substance to lose._

 _The brunette's eyes shifted to the figure that had just appeared above her girlfriend's lifeless body._

 _It seemed that for this man, the universe would allow Skye's voice to work._

 _"Ward."_

 _It was just his name really, but it held more bitterness, more hatred than anything else could have in the history of the entire world._

 _He was standing there, pistol pointed at Skye, smirking the whole time._

 _"Hello, Skye. I missed you."_

 _Yup, still deranged._

 _"Shut the hell up, Ward!"_

 _But the traitor was undeterred._

 _"Skye, don't act like that. I love you, and you can't deny your feelings for me."_

 _"What fucking feelings? The hatred or the disgustingness? I'm not denying those feelings! You're just a piece of shit, Ward! So tell me, what do you want, you bastard Nazi?"_

 _At this, Ward snarled. "I see how this works. You won't respect me of your own free will, so I'll just have to influence you a little."_

 _Ward raised his gun and aimed it at Skye's head. "You really should respect your betters, Skye."_

"Skye? Skye, wake up. Wake up, sweetheart."

Skye gasped for air as she opened her eyes.

Turning her head slightly to the right, she saw Natasha looking at her with concern plastered on her face.

"Sorry," the brunette apologized quietly, turning her head away from her girlfriend. "Just a nightmare. Didn't mean to bother you. Sorry."

"Hey," Natasha said, putting her hand on Skye's arm as she tried to run away. "Skye, look at me."

And she did, with the most innocent eyes the red-head had ever seen. In this moment, Skye was so fragile-looking, like the tiniest wrong thing could make her cry a river.

"Never apologize for something that's out of your control," Natasha said. After another moment had passed, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Skye immediately shook her head no. "I don't think I should."

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I won't force you."

Skye smiled at her girlfriend. "Thanks for understanding."

Natasha grinned too. "That's what I'm here for."

When too long had passed before either of them said anything, Skye groaned. "I hate being in these stupid med-pods. I'm not even injured or anything!"

Natasha thought this would be the prime time to surprise her girlfriend. "I know . . . which is why Simmons said that whenever you woke up, you could leave, as long as someone escorted you. I thought we could head back to my room and-"

Skye didn't even need her to finish before she exclaimed, "I'm sold!"

Natasha grinned. "Well, I'm glad."

She got up from the bed and handed Skye a change of clothes that was on the plastic chair. "Here, so you don't have to walk around in a hospital gown. Plus, it gives me something to take off later."

Skye smiled mischievously as Natasha left the room. Quickly hopping out of bed and throwing on her clothes, Skye followed Natasha's trail to the red-head's room.

Upon closing the door and looking at her partner, Skye realized just how beautiful Natasha was.

Covering the five foot distance between them in one stride, Skye pulled Natasha into her arms and breathed in her scent.

"I love you, Nat. I really do, and I'm so happy that you're my babe."

Natasha replied soon after. "I love you too, Skye, with my whole heart, and I'm really glad that you'd have me as your babe."

She wrapped her arms around Skye and filled the remaining gap between them.

Skye melted into the kiss.

Though, at this point they were really making out.

Natasha smelled like a mixture of fresh strawberries and gunpowder.

Skye twisted one of her hands into her red hair while the other roamed down to her waist. They were both lying down on the clean bed, Natasha on top, her legs straddling the brunette's hips.

Skye felt the ex-assassin's tongue ask for entrance into her mouth as it poked at her straight teeth, and she smiled into the kiss as Natasha was granted access.

She explored every crevice as Skye moaned in pleasure, and they only broke apart when they both desperately needed air.

In return for the sweet delight of kissing Natasha, Skye massaged her back as best she could while laying under her.

A while later, when Natasha had finally finished exploring, it was the younger agent's turn turn.

Skye tentatively asked for access to her mouth with her tongue, poking at her teeth and softly nibbling on her lip.

After several minutes of just enjoying the bliss, she gained entrance into Natasha's mouth.

As Natasha later told her, Skye licked every part of her mouth painfully slow, wanting to experience every bit of her lest she be taken away. The red-head tasted of sweet lemon drops and blueberries.

Skye reached a certain pleasure spot of the red-head's and licked it vivaciously. For her work, she elicited a moan of joy from Natasha.

While the brunette explored her, Natasha collapsed onto her girlfriend's body, no longer wanting their bodies to be separated. It only made the experience more enjoyable for both as their hot bodies were pressed together in the warm bed.

Skye rolled over so she was on top of the older agent and straddled her hips. She was still full of energy.

Natasha moaned and cried into the kiss, unable to move. Skye was only so glad that Natasha's room as secluded from the rest of the Tower.

Out of breath, they broke apart from the kiss and collapsed onto Natasha's body. Skye rearranged herself so they were spooning each other, and she was in Natasha's arms. Currently, Natasha was running her hands through her brown hair, and Skye was reveling in the affection of her girlfriend.

"You know," the younger agent said, "you're really good at this."

Natasha could practically hear the smirk in her voice. "You're not such a bad kisser yourself."

"Oh, I could be a lot more than just a good kisser."

"Why don't we test that out?"

Author's Note

Well, hey! Check that out, another chapter! Just some fluff to progress the SkyeTasha or QuakeWidow relationship, but that nightmare will come into play later. That's all the spoilers I'm going to give. I'll see you at the end of the next chapter. Until then, my friends!


	11. This is When So Much Happened!

Author's Note

Yeah. So, this happened. . . . Listen, I'll explain later. First things first, as far as this story is concerned, Trip, Mack, and the REAL S.H.I.E.L.D. don't exist. Oh, and Thor was visiting Jane this entire time, so he's not there yet.

Avenger's Tower

Status:

Undetermined

Time:

07:00

Skye's eyes fluttered open, immediately remembering her wonderful time with a certain assassin, and a large grin spread across her face. She looked thoughtfully at the red-headed woman that had both of her arms strung around Skye, her body curled into her taller partner and her head pressed into the brunette's abdomen. Natasha had a small smile on and her eyes were still closed, a sight that was very pleasing to Skye. Unfortunately for Skye, the two had both put pack on their clothes after . . . well, _you know_. . . because Natasha's room was freaking cold! Even Natasha didn't like it, and it was her room for crying out loud. They were going to need to have a talk with Stark about it; because apparently, they weren't allowed to touch the thermostat, and JARVIS wasn't listening to their incessant demands. Anyway, back to the current situation.

'Wow,'Skye thought, watching the steady rise and fall of Natasha's chest. 'My girlfriend's super-hot. Way to go, Skye! You found a nice one.'

Skye was startled out of her thoughts when an extremely cute, slightly raspy voice reached her ears. "What ya thinkin' 'bout, darlin'?" Skye had to admit. A sleepy Natasha was incredibly adorable.

The brunette glanced down at the redhead, whose eyes were now wide open. Yep. Definitely adorable. "I was just congratulating myself on taste in girlfriends."

Natasha laughed, a beautiful little sound that Skye could probably get high off of. "You're so kind."

Skye rolled her eyes. "I know, right. I'm the best."

Natasha snorted. "I'm feeling so loved."

Skye stared into her girlfriend's dazzling green orbs, the atmosphere immediately changing. "I was thinking of how amazingly beautifully gorgeous you are, inside and out. I was thinking of how much I love you."

In this moment, Skye saw Natasha vulnerable. A woman with a past worse than her own didn't really know what this kind of love was, and Skye knew that Natasha was new to this. She didn't want to mess up. Neither of them did.

Natasha looked slightly concerned as she nodded her head, her brows furrowing. "I love you too, but what's wrong, sweetheart. Tell me."

Skye sighed as Natasha moved up, and they both sat up in the bed, leaning their heads against the backboard. "You remember that nightmare earlier this morning?" Natasha nodded looking slightly confused. "Well, you were in it. We were, uh, we were standing in a forest, and it was kind of nice, just me and you staring at each other. But then, uh, this guy I know, a traitor for HYDRA, his name is Ward. He literally appeared out of nowhere, and he, uh, he shot you, and, god, sorry, I just got to—"

Natasha put her arm around her girlfriend's waste, not knowing exactly how to offer comfort in this situation. "It's okay, Skye. You can stop if you want to."

Skye shook her head, eyes glistening with unshed tears as she stared at the blurry sheets in front of her. "No. I—I have to say this. Ward shot you and you went down. I wanted to—to help you—to do something, but I just—I couldn't move or scream or anything. I just . . . stood there, staring at you. Ward, god that smug Nazi, he was, damnit, uh, he was pointing the pistol at me, talking about how he missed me and about feelings I have for him that don't exist. I was, well, a fucking idiot and decided to be a smart son of a bitch and mouthed off to him. So he, god damnit, he pulled the trigger . . . and s-shot the gun at me. Then you—you woke me up."

As soon as Skye finished Natasha enveloped her into a hug, cradling the girl whom she loved more than she had ever loved anyone before. "Shh, sweetheart, it's going to be okay." The brunette was now openly crying onto the redhead's shoulder, but Natasha didn't mind. A slightly damp sleeve was worth helping her more than slightly distraught girlfriend.

Of course, Natasha knew what it was like to feel useless. She understood Skye's pain. She had felt it herself when Skye had been shot. At that moment in time, there was nothing that she could have done, even though all she wanted was to help, to take away the hurt.

After a few moments of just being held, Skye pulled back from Natasha, immediately missing the warmth her girlfriend. She gave her a small smile as wiped at her eyes. Skye looked at a clock that sat on one of the nightstands, and, upon realizing that it was already nine o'clock, she hopped up out of bed, pretending like nothing had happened. She looked around the room a minute before she swore under her breath.

Natasha looked at her confused for a second before she asked, "Skye, what's wrong?"

Skye began tearing off her clothes as she intended to take a shower in the adjoining bathroom to Natasha's room. "Well, the only clothes I have are the ones I wore during the mission, which are a bit bloodied, and a backup tactical suit. I don't know who, but someone left me two changes of clothes both times I woke up in the med-pod. Long story short, I don't have any clean clothes today," Skye finished as she had completed the process of disrobing, leaving Natasha a bit flustered.

The redhead shook her head to rid her mind of the dirty thoughts as she too got out of bed. "JARVIS?" she asked.

The AI responded immediately with a, "Yes, Miss Romanoff. What may I do for you this morning?"

"Could you tell Pepper that we have a female guest in need of a shopping spree?" Natasha smirked a little at Skye's awestruck expression.

"Certainly, Miss Romanoff. Is that all you would like?" JARVIS asked with the most polite attitude Skye had ever heard.

"Yes. Thank you, JARVIS."

"Of course, Miss Romanoff. Have a good morning."

All Skye could do was stare at her girlfriend in shock, slack-jawed. "Why did you do that? I said I needed an outfit, not a wardrobe." she asked rather loudly as Natasha moved over to her dresser and opened one of the drawers. "I'm not about to waste Pepper's slash Stark's money."

"Relax," the redhead said as she threw a bundle of clothes at her girlfriend. "Pepper would love to buy you clothes, especially when she hears you're my girlfriend."

Skye raised an eyebrow as she slipped on the black jeans Natasha had thrown at her. "Seriously?"

Natasha glanced at her, putting on her own clothes. "Do you have a problem with anything, Skye?"

Skye shook her head. "Absolutely nothing."

Fully dressed in jeans and a dark colored t-shirt and her own black combat boots, Skye did a once-over of her girlfriend, who looked particularly beautiful that day. Natasha was wearing black skinny jeans and a deep red t-shirt, complete with brown leather boots.

Natasha smirked. "Sure. C'mon. I'm sure you're hungry. When was the last meal you ate?"

Skye dodged the question entirely and said with a huge unconvincing grin, "Let's go. Lead the way, babe. I have yet to learn my way around this place."

Natasha noticed Skye's shift in attitude, but she decided not to talk about it yet. That would be a topic for another day.

Natasha led Skye through the halls and towards the lounge area, where the Avengers tended to eat their meals, as the island/bar there was more comfortable than the formal dining room.

Upon entering the room, Skye saw that May, FitzSimmons, Steve and Banner were already awake and enjoying various types of breakfasts. Jemma and Banner were both enjoying some light toast and scrambled eggs. Fitz, being ever the childish man he was, was eating a large bowl of Lucky Charms. Steve and May were eating steaming bowls of oatmeal.

When the two entered the room, everyone's head turned to Skye, who held onto Natasha's hand, internally screaming at herself to run away; but Natasha's hand kept her there, kept her grounded.

Clearing her throat slightly, Skye pulled her girlfriend over to where Banner and Steve were sitting next to each other. "Dr. Banner," she said, "I didn't get the chance to formally meet you. Call me Skye."

Banner smiled, which was reciprocated by Skye as they shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Skye. Please, call me Bruce."

Moving to Steve, the captain spoke first, saying with a sweet smile, "It's a pleasure, ma'am. I can't thank you enough for your help during the mission. It's good to see you doing well."

Skye smiled, though her inner screams were growing in volume. "Thanks Captain, but seriously, no 'ma'am'. I'm still in my twenties. You call me 'Skye', and I call you 'Steve'. Deal?"

Steve grinned wider. "It's a deal, _Skye_."

Finally moving past all the people, Skye took an empty seat at the square island, pulling her girlfriend to sit at her right hand.

Natasha grabbed two plates, giving one of them to Skye before adding a helping of eggs and toast to each plate, all without letting go of her girlfriend's hand.

As Natasha began to eat, Skye grew uncomfortable in the silence that followed since they had both arrived. "So," the brunette said, directing it to the Avengers that were present and May. "What's Coulson's plan on what we do from here?"

May shook her head. "As far as I can tell, there isn't one."

Steve turned to the senior field agent. "It's likely that he's just waiting for things to calm down a bit more, to let all the changes be made first before deciding something final."

And as everyone talked, Skye casually withdrew from the conversation without anyone noticing. Well, almost everyone. What? Could you blame her? Natasha had to keep an eye on her girlfriend.

So when she saw that Skye wasn't speaking or even touching her food, she worried a little. Damn protectiveness. Natasha leaned over to whisper in her girlfriend's ear. "We will talk about this later. Until then, you should eat your food." Skye nodded weakly as she picked up a piece of toast and slowly began nibbling it, a sour look on her face.

A while after Skye and Natasha had originally entered the lounge, the rest of the team and the Avengers had migrated over to the area, some opting to sit on the couches and chairs around the large flatscreen television where some weird game show was playing.

Skye, who had only eaten half of her toast before discreetly throwing the rest away, tugged Natasha over to an unoccupied loveseat that sat in between Clint's and Stark's armchairs. Of course, just like Steve and Bruce, they had formally introduced themselves to Skye, who was still a bit awestruck at meeting the Avengers, never mind one of them being her girlfriend.

As the group sat in comfortable silence, Natasha held tightly in Skye's arms with the smaller woman sitting on the brunette's lap, Coulson spoke up from his position next to May at the breakfast bar.

"Well," he said, "since we're all here, I think now would be a good time to go over our course of action."

"Sir," said Bobbi, who was standing against one of the walls. "All things considered, I think it would be best to stay here at the Tower for a bit longer, so things can settle down some more."

Coulson nodded. "My thoughts exactly, Agent Morse. Of course, that would only happen if we were invited." He shifted his gaze to Tony. "Stark, care to invite us?"

The billionaire smiled charmingly. "Sure, Phil. You and your team can stay as long as you like. We've got plenty of rooms to spare so you don't all have to sleep on that tiny plane of yours again."

Clint chuckled. "You know, Tony, they didn't _all_ sleep on the plane. In fact, I'm sure Tasha could testify to that one."

Everyone looked at the two girlfriends a bit sheepishly as Natasha glared fiercely at her old partner. "Thanks for that one, jackass."

Clint laughed in his seat before Skye spoke up. "It's all cool. Besides," she said, lowering her voice so only Natasha could hear, "it saves us from future questions when they hear me making love to you."

The voice sent shivers down Natasha's spine as she stole a quick peck on the lips from her girlfriend; but luckily no one noticed, because Pepper had walked in, the ding of the elevator signaling her arrival.

Skye was going to rise to greet her, since it was clear that's why the super busy business lady was there in the first place; but Natasha didn't really feel like getting up off of her girlfriend's lap, so Skye was essentially forced to sit as Pepper made her way over to the couple.

The woman was dressed in a nice, crisp, white pantsuit and black heels that clicked like nobody's tomorrow. She took one look at the ladies and instantly broke out into a grin, which was reciprocated by the two. "So you would be the 'female guest' then? Pepper Potts, but you can call me Pepper. I'm Tony's personal maid and all around caretaker."

Everyone laughed at that, except for Tony who pouted like a three-year-old, mumbling something along the lines of, "I clean up after myself."

Skye shook the offered hand, preferring to keep the other wrapped snug around Natasha. "Great to meet you, Pepper. I'm Skye. I'd get up to formally greet you, but this girlfriend of mine is entirely too stubborn."

Pepper smiled as Natasha playfully slapped Skye in the arm, though she still rose from her very, _very_ comfortable seat, pulling the brunette up with her. "Hey, Pepper," the redhead greeted casually. "Thanks for coming on short notice."

"The pleasure's all mine. Seriously. Shopping. How could I deny such a request? Besides, writing up all of Tony's incident reports was getting really boring." She gave a little mischievous smile as she slid her expensive-looking purse back up her arm. "Anyway, I've got Tony's new Jeep® Patriot waiting for us in the garage when you're ready to go."

"I think only Skye is going with you. Is that okay with you, babe?" Natasha glanced at her girlfriend, an eyebrow raised in inquisition. With a nod in return, Natasha turned back to her friend with a smile.

Just before the two entered the elevator, Skye shot a look at Bobbi and Jemma. "Keep an eye on my girlfriend, would ya?" she said. A chuckle and a nod of the head was a sufficient answer for her as she and Pepper went down to the garage.

About fifteen minutes later, the two ladies found themselves in Abercrombie & Fitch, where just about everything was overpriced by at least twenty dollars. But, as Pepper had informed her, Stark had insisted they use his money and as much of it as they wanted since he still felt bad for not being able to really help Skye when she was shot.

"So, what kind of clothes are you looking for? Dresses, suits, casual wear, swimsuits, I'm in the dark here," Pepper said, just as they entered the store, which, to Skye's surprise, had a certain, calm air to it.

Skye laughed and smiled. "I think some everyday clothes and gym-wear is good. Maybe a pair of sneakers, too. Are you sure, Tony doesn't mind spending money on me? I mean, this place looks pretty expensive."

Pepper grinned sweetly. "It is a bit pricey; but, Skye, this is Tony Stark we're talking about. He legitimately has millions of dollars just waiting to be spent. And for a friend, which is what I am positive you are to him, he is willing to spend a few extra bucks. Now, let's hurry up and find clothes before we get too serious."

Skye laughed airily as Pepper pulled her towards the jeans.

As the two were going through the many, _many_ racks of clothes, they spoke a bit in general about their lives and their jobs just to get to know each other. Skye told Pepper all about some of the non-classified missions she had been on; however, she mostly talked about various pranks she and the others had pulled on Hunter. Pepper genuinely laughed at all of her jokes, which was a nice boost for Skye's mood after that depressing breakfast. The red/orange-haired woman told a few stories herself, mainly about the stupid things she'd seen people at Stark Industries do. For example:

"And he was just so angry that he didn't get the promotion, he threw his own birthday cake at his boss! Everyone on the floor saw it!"

Skye laughed, which she noticed she'd been doing a lot ever since she ran into the Avengers. "That's insane. I'm assuming he got fired, right?"

"No! That's the craziest part. Tony appreciated his bravery or something like that and actually let the idiot stay on. Though, in this case, I'm not sure Tony wasn't the idiot."

"I have to admit," Skye said, "that boyfriend of yours looks like a lot of work."

Pepper smirked. "Oh, he is, but he's worth it. I'm sure it's the same for you and Tasha."

Skye smiled fondly. "You know, I have yet to find a problem with her; but, to be fair, I've known her for a few days."

Pepper's expression morphed into that of genuine curiosity. "You really love her, don't you?"

Skye shook her head. "I think so. I mean, we say 'I love you'; but, at this point in my life, I'm not so sure I know what real love is."

Pepper thought about that as the two finally gathered the clothes they had paid for and carried them out to the SUV.

It wasn't until they had begun to drive back to the Tower that she finally came up with an answer. "You know what, Skye, considering everything I think it's amazing you made it so far with Natasha. You both seem to have this tendency to be closed off around others and not show true emotions; yet, you were able to establish this bond that goes beyond anything I could ever hope to have with Tony. It's a kind of trust and friendship and appreciation that most married couples don't even have. So, even if you don't know what love really is, I think you're experiencing it with Natasha."

Skye stared wide-eyed at Pepper from the passenger seat. "You know, I usually don't expect that kind of advice until the fifth hour of friendship. I appreciate it, Pepper."

"The pleasure is all mine. Call it your daily anecdote."

Having spent an hour and a half and around two hundred dollars, Pepper returned to the Tower with about three bags of clothes all for Skye, and nothing bad had happened, which was an accomplishment when you were even associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. Skye said goodbye to Pepper in the elevator, promising to talk later, etc., etc. Skye wasn't really paying attention anymore. She was just really anxious to see Natasha, especially since she remembered that she and Natasha were going to talk about her eating or lack thereof.

Entering what was officially their shared room until further notice, Skye saw Natasha sitting on the bed, reading what looked like _War and Peace_. The brunette dropped the bags by the door and climbed onto the bed to sit next to her girlfriend, who had yet to look up from her book.

Skye groaned as she tried to follow along in the redhead's reading. "Damnit. I forgot that I hate books."

"Are the words too much for your pretty little brain to handle?" Natasha asked playfully with a smirk as she continued to scan the pages at a rapid pace, absorbing all kinds of information.

"No, I just—Hey! My brain is not little!"

"It is, but notice I called it pretty, too. Does that make up for it?"

Skye snorted. "Of course it does." She leaned into Natasha's side, kissing her just at the corner of her mouth.

At this, Natasha finally put down her book, opting for a lengthy make-out session with her girlfriend. However, as soon as she deepened the kiss, Skye pulled back, a smirk on her lips.

"Now that I've finally got your attention," Skye said, the smile audible in her voice. "I wanted to talk to you about something Pepper brought up while we were out. Oh, by the way, Pepper is my new favorite chick to hang out with, other than you, babe."

Natasha smiled briefly before it faded. "How about I talk first? Then we can get what I assume would be the worst out of the way."

Skye sighed as she lay on her back, stretched out on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "All right. Ask what you want. I can't guarantee an answer."

Natasha positioned herself in the same manner next to her girlfriend. "I hope you know that I don't want to bring up bad memories for you, sweetheart."

"No. It's fine. It was bound to happen sometime."

After a silent moment, Natasha asked her first question. "How often do you skip meals?"

"I usually eat only dinner since that's when we're all together eating whatever Coulson or Simmons made. I really only eat the minimum, to keep up appearances. And it's not uncommon for me to not eat for days straight."

"How long?"

"It started when I was ten, but I stopped at sixteen. It came off and on between seventeen and twenty. Then I was good again. Up until . . . stuff."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Stuff?"

"Yeah. That's what I said."

"Is that all I'm going to get on that one?"

Skye sat up quickly. "Look, Ward had just betrayed us. S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. HYDRA came out of the shadows. I just imploded! What was I supposed to do?!"

Natasha also sat up when she heard Skye breathing heavily. She put a hand on the brunette's forearm, watching as her breathing gradually steadied out. Skye glanced at the redhead's hand that was still on her arm. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Hey," Natasha said, holding Skye's face in her hand, forcing the girl to look at her. "What did I tell you about apologizing?"

Skye choked down a sob, making Natasha's heart snap in two. The redhead pulled the younger girl into her arms, whispering soothing words and running her fingers through her hair. "It's okay, darling. I've got you."

Skye pulled back from the embrace a bit shakily. She searched Natasha's eyes for something. She wasn't sure what exactly, but she would know when she found it.

"Don't you think it's strange?" Skye finally asked with a blank stare in her eyes.

"Skye?" Natasha asked; because as great a spy as she was, she had no idea what her girlfriend was talking about.

"I mean, it's got to be right, because you want it. At least, I think you do. But that means that I shouldn't be able to have it then. I'm not supposed to be happy. Right?"

"What is 'it', Skye? Talk to me."

Skye breathed deeply as the clouded look faded from her eyes and she focused intently on the redhead.

"While we were out," she started, "Pepper asked me if I really love you. I wanted to say yes a million times over, but I'm just—we—" Skye sighed. "If we're being honest here, we're both broken. Neither of us really knows the entire effect love has. Sure, we said 'I love you', and what I think we have is amazing. I'm just not sure what it is we have. Pepper said that it was this bond. You know, it's the type of thing that takes years to form: the silent communication, the ease around each other, the attentiveness towards the other. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful for everything you've done for me. I just—I want to know what this means."

Natasha stayed quiet for a moment, letting everything sink in. Once she finally spoke, she looked directly into Skye's eyes, showing her how strongly she truly felt. "Skye, sweetheart, I know you're right. I don't know what it is we have. However, if you'd let me, I'd love to figure it out with you. What do you say, darling? Are you up for a challenge?"

Skye nodded her head with a small, but genuine smile on her face. "I'd like that a lot." She leaned forward and kissed Natasha, slow and steady but with more meaning than ever before. As the exchange lengthened, each caress and embrace was performed with the utmost care, neither wanting to lose the integrity of the moment.

After their conversation, Skye and Natasha chose to spend the rest of the morning in the privacy of their room. At least, that was the plan until JARVIS came in over the PA.

"Miss Romanoff, both you and Miss Skye are requested in Conference Hall B."

Skye groaned as she got up from the bed. "Do you know why?"

"Agent Coulson informed me that there is a meeting to be held there about recent events. If I am correct, it may have something to do with your latest mission."

Natasha stood as well, stretching as she clasped hands with her girlfriend and made her way over to the elevator in the hallway. "Thanks, JARVIS. Please tell Phil we'll be there in a few minutes."

"Of course, Miss Romanoff. Enjoy your day."

Skye laughed as they took off in the elevator. "I swear JARVIS is the most polite guy I've ever met!"

Natasha chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me. Tony programmed him to be the best AI butler in this universe and the next."

When Natasha and Skye entered Conference Hall B, they noticed that everyone else was already there.

"Well, you certainly took your time, ladies," Clint said as the redhead went and sat next to him, Skye on her left side.

"Sorry, Hawkguy," Skye joked. "We would have been here sooner, but unlike you, we actually had things to do."

Everyone laughed at that while Coulson just shook his head. The things his agents said! "Anyway," the director cleared his throat. "It's time we actually talk about that mission."

The atmosphere in the room immediately shifted, everyone taking on a somber look, except Skye, who was just tracing the grain patterns on the table. "Well," she said. "On mine and May's side everything was going mostly smooth. There were a few guards here and there, but nothing I couldn't handle. . . ." And Skye proceeded to tell the director the entire mission up until she had woken up in a foreign med-pod.

"Sir," Jemma said. "Skye's ability to heal herself is a very rare if not unheard of anomaly. I'm certain that Dr. Banner would agree with me when I say that it would be an interesting thing to investigate."

"Spit it out, Simmons," Coulson said.

"Well, I suppose the question would be: what do we tell the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.? There are certain procedures for these types of situations."

"Agreed," Coulson said, turning to Skye. "Skye, with your consent, Banner and Simmons can perform tests to try and determine the extent of your . . . abilities. But, we are _not_ informing the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. about this. If anyone knows, it puts Skye at risk, which is the last thing we want."

"Which is why I have a plan to keep her safe."

Everyone's attention was drawn to the man who had just entered the conference hall. There, dressed in leather coat and eyepatch with a smirk on his face, was Nicholas Joseph Fury, also known as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s former director.

"I guess I'm a little late to the party."

Author's Note

Alright. Now that the chapter's out, I owe you an explanation. My inspiration keeps coming up at all the wrong times, and I never have a chance to put pen to paper, or in this case, key to document. Yes, I realize how stupid that sounds. Anyway, I stopped this story because I didn't think I would ever be able to write for it again, not because I didn't want to. But, now that it's summer, I have the chance. I can't give you a definitive answer of how long or how often I'm going to be updating, but it will happen again. Maybe in 2017. I truly do appreciate every single one of you who reads, favorites, or comments. It really does keep me motivated to post new chapters. I love you all so much. Thank you for staying with me. I'll see you at the next chapter. Until then, my friends! 


	12. This is When They All Just Hanged Out

_Author's Note_

Well, hey, look at that! Another chapter and it's not even July yet! I'm on a roll, guys!

Huge thanks to _FabinaForever11_ and _orca3553_ for leaving reviews on the last chapter! I appreciate all you do to help me!

Anyway, hope you like the chapter.

 _Enjoy!_

All anyone in the room could do was gape at Fury in pure astonishment. For a while, everything was dead silent until Skye stood from her chair quietly and went to stand in front of Fury. She offered her hand to him with a slight smile. "I'd introduce myself, but, knowing who you are, I don't think it's necessary."

Amazingly, Fury actually smiled back, happiness in his eyes and everything! "Nice to meet you, Agent Skye. I've heard a lot of good things about you."

Skye raised an eyebrow as she chuckled. "Really? Then who have you been talking to?"

If smiling wasn't enough of a surprise, then Fury's little chuckle certainly would have covered it. "All the right people, I assure you." Now everyone was staring between their agent and their former director.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Hunter asked impatiently.

"I thought I made it obvious," Fury said as Skye went back to sit in between Jemma and Natasha. The former director waltzed over to Coulson's seat at the head of the table. "I'm here to offer protection for Skye. But first, Coulson, or _Director_ Coulson, as it may be."

"Yes, sir," Coulson replied. The nervous tension was palpable with him.

"Now, I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now, and I see that between leading a team and leading the organization, you're a lot better at the former. I'm going to give you a choice. You can either continue to be director, and I'll work under you; or you can go back to only leading your team while I handle the big stuff. You have one day to make your decision."

Within a second, Coulson looked Fury right in his one good eye. "Welcome back, Director Fury."

Everyone hoorayed and cheered at this, Tony even offering a whistle.

Fury smirked. "Alright then," he said, straightening his back and looking to face everyone, effectively silencing them with just a look. "I've got five thousand agents waiting to be activated in the U.S. alone. I want Rogers coordinating with Maria Hill on that and working on in-processing. You'll be sent some of their files later today to assess and evaluate. Until you're done, you'll be staying here at the tower."

"Yes, sir," Steve said with a nod of his head.

"Now, about protecting Skye." A pause of utter. "The former S.H.I.E.L.D. had different schools for different specialties. However, I've been working on a project for a few years now so that all cadets live and work on the same campus. It promotes unity and makes it easier to keep an eye on everyone. But it also means any HYDRA insiders will find it easier to recruit for the enemy side. What we need is someone on the inside of the academy, who can blend in but keep an eye on anything suspicious and then report back to me. The best way to make it safer for everyone is to eliminate the threat before it grows."

Skye stood from her chair. "I'll do it, sir."

Everyone snapped their heads to the brunette. Natasha even audibly said, "The hell you're going to the academy!"

Fury calmly said as he crossed his arms, "State your reasons, Agent Skye."

"I've never been to the academy before, so no one would suspect anything. I've got the fighting experience, but I can easily tone it down a few levels to play the part."

Fury contemplated everything for a moment before he simply nodded his head. "Alright. Then, Agent Skye, I'll get a file to you later about the specs. Coulson, I want you and the rest of your team to follow a lead I have on a tie to HYDRA, a boy named Ciel Phantomhive. He's a rich and influential kid that acts as the Queen's guard dog. Go on your own with the BUS and contact me every few days with updates. You leave two days from today. Now, for the Avengers, I'm your handler, so I will assign you missions as I see fit. Is everyone clear on their duties?" Everyone but Natasha said 'yes, sir'. Of course, Fury noticed this and asked, "Is there a problem, Romanoff?"

"Sir," Natasha said, her hand intertwined with Skye's underneath the table. "How is sending Skye to the academy going to keep her safe?" She tried to keep her tone professional, but it was clear to everyone that the worry was beyond what she would show for just any agent.

"Agent Romanoff, you are well aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security detail. This new academy is built for the protection of every student."

"Need I remind you why we're sending an agent there in the first place?" Natasha remarked. "HYDRA infiltrated before. They'll do it again."

"And I will personally see to it that Skye is safe at the academy. _Satisfied,_ Agent Romanoff?" Natasha nodded, her features set firmly. "Excellent. Now, everyone is dismissed."

Skye and Natasha were almost out the door when Natasha stopped. "Hey, Skye," she said. "I'll be at the room in a few. I just got to talk to Fury for a sec. Okay?" Skye nodded, a smile on her face as she kissed Natasha good-bye and went to the elevator.

Natasha immediately turned around, shutting the door behind her and facing Fury. "Well," the man said, a bit tiredly. "Everyone else is gone. You ready to yell at me now?"

Natasha strode over to Fury in a matter of milliseconds, a snarl at-the-ready. "You're a spy, so I won't tell you what you can observe. I will tell you that I'm going to make sure you keep my Skye safe. She doesn't deserve to be hurt. If you so much as let her get a damn cold, I'll be on you faster than you can realize what you did wrong."

Fury nodded, his face unreadable. "She's compromised you," he noticed.

Natasha nodded as she walked away. "I don't think I could've stopped her if I tried." And with that, the redhead left the conference room to go and relax with her girlfriend, since they both had no idea when Skye would have to leave for her mission.

* * *

When Natasha shut the door to her room, she was pleasantly surprised with a kiss from Skye, who backed her up against one of the walls. Natasha smirked into the kiss, loving that her girlfriend was such a great kisser. Skye had her arms wrapped around Natasha's waist, while the redhead's arms snaked around the taller woman's shoulders.

"So," Natasha breathed in between smooches, "what's this for?"

Skye mimicked her girlfriend's smirk as she pressed their bodies even closer. "Is that a complaint I'm hearing?"

Natasha moaned as Skye sucked on the side of her neck. "Definitely not," she managed to utter. "Just wondering where this urge came from."

They broke apart just long enough for Skye to rip Natasha's shirt over her head and for the brunette to say, "Let's not worry about that right now."

Natasha's eyes gleamed with passion. "So what _should_ we do?" she asked in an innocent tone.

Skye's pupils dilated with lust. "Now," she whispered huskily, "now, I get to make love to you."

* * *

It was around an hour later that Skye was lying in the sheets with Natasha's head nuzzled into her neck. "You know," Skye said, still panting heavily, "you're really good at that, babe."

Natasha smirked as she placed light kisses on Skye's collarbone. "You're not so bad yourself, sweetheart. Now," she transitioned as she went back to just snuggling with the brunette. "As much as I really, _really_ enjoyed that, I know it wasn't just because. What's up, darling?"

Skye sighed. "I just—I want to love you, and I'm trying really hard to know you so I can love you better. I don't know. I guess everything just boiled over, and I just wanted to be with you, to have you as mine, so I could love you better."

Natasha reached up and planted a small kiss on the brunette's forehead. "I already am yours," she said. "I don't think it's possible for you to love me better. The way I see it, any love from you is already perfect."

Skye smiled lovingly. "Thanks, babe. Still, that doesn't change the fact that I know next to nothing about you, and you don't know anything about me."

Natasha looked dead into Skye's eyes, startling the young brunette. "Then I'll tell you, whatever you want to know."

Skye looked questioning for a moment. "You'd seriously do that for me?"

"Remember what I told you before? Well, it's still true. Darling, I'd do _anything_ for you."

Skye was joyed beyond belief, and Natasha hadn't even told her anything yet! "Thank you," she said genuinely. "I know that it must be hard for you."

Natasha nodded her head against Skye's bare chest. "It is hard, but I feel safe with you. I can tell you."

"I will always protect you," Skye admitted seriously. "Here, how about to lighten the load on you, I tell you about my past too. I know I can tell you anything. You make me feel safe."

"Because I will always protect you."

* * *

So Natasha told her. Everything. About how she was taken from her home as a young girl and forced to participate in the Red Room. How the KGB had trained her to be a ruthless killing machine. She even told her about her first kill, a young man who had interfered with her original mission. She had been only seven years old. She told Skye how Clint had literally swooped in and taken her to S.H.I.E.L.D. sometime after she had started resisting orders from her handler.

Skye took it all in stride, with eager ears and arms at the ready in case Natasha needed her there more than she already did. Of course, hearing all of this _did_ change her opinion on Natasha. Yep, there was no avoiding it. After learning of the redhead's past, Skye was even _prouder_ of her girlfriend for being able to overcome everything that came. Honestly, Skye thought she deserved more than what she already had, like she was to be royalty.

* * *

Skye told Natasha. Everything. She told her about the very beginning with Agent Avery dropping her off at the orphanage. About the various insignificant foster homes and adopted homes she had been in that didn't turn out well, just because Skye, or whatever her name was at the time, 'wasn't a good fit'. She told her about the various odd jobs she'd done for years to earn enough money to buy her run-down (but lovable) van. How she had started hacking the day she was first seated at a computer. How she had screwed up when she met Miles Lydon. Skye took special care to describe the days when the youngest in whatever family she was in had inevitably killed their parents, and Skye, being ever the caring person she was, had taken the fall every time, going to jail until her Rising Tide "buddies" could bale her out again. However, Natasha paid the most attention when Skye talked about the day she had, as she called it, 'imploded'.

Natasha listened with rapt attention filing every detail away into the part of her brain permanently labelled "Skye." Anything the brunette told her was important. That's how Natasha saw it. Just like when she had talked to Skye, Natasha formed a new view on her girlfriend. Of course, she had always thought Skye was a strong, independent individual, but now, she was even more impressed. For example, hearing about how Skye had chosen herself to be beaten instead of her older sibling, who hated Skye regardless, it made Natasha just want to hold Skye forever and shield her from the rest of the world.

* * *

After the two ladies had finished telling each other their stories, they proceeded to simply lie in bed and cuddle. Natasha eventually fell asleep with her arm wrapped around Skye's waist protectively. However, Skye could not sleep.

She was lying awake, staring up at the ceiling while running her fingers gently through Natasha's soft red hair. The brunette couldn't help but just think about everything.

It all had been happening so fast without much time to process. Only four days ago had that mission actually happened, and now, here she was, sleeping with an Avenger, who was her girlfriend. She had regained her memory. She even began speaking again! She was living with the damn Avengers for crying out loud! And it already seemed normal, like it was supposed to have been that way all along. It was all just a bit overwhelming. Okay, that was all a lie. It was _extremely_ overwhelming. Skye just wanted to have a moment with her friends, Jemma, Fitz, Bobbi, Hunter, just like the old times.

Making her decision, Skye carefully extracted herself from her girlfriend and silently put back on the clothes she had on earlier in the say. Checking the clock that was on Natasha's nightstand, Skye saw that it was already one in the afternoon. As she left the room, cringing at the loud click the door made, Skye realized that she had no idea where her friends would be.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. "JARVIS?" she asked skeptically.

She was pleasantly answered within seconds. "Yes, Agent Skye. May I help you with anything today?"

Skye nodded as she started walking towards the lounge. "Yes. Could you please send FitzSimmons, Bobbi, and Hunter to the lounge?"

"Of course, Agent Skye. To which lounge are you referring?"

Skye stopped in her tracks, her mouth wide open. "There are two?"

"There are four lounge rooms. I would recommend the second gaming room on level 42."

"Which room do the Avengers use more often?"

"That would be the first gaming room on level 23. No one enters the lounge on level 42, except to clean and replace the food and drinks."

Skye smiled to herself. "Excellent. Then send the others there, please, JARVIS."

"Yes, Agent Skye."

* * *

Five minutes later found Skye relaxing in one of the many comfortable plush arm chairs and bean bags. The room was absolutely wonderful. There was a pool, foosball, and air-hockey table all spread around behind the ten-seat, dark blue couch. The couch was like a corner-piece, with five straight seats and five more seats coming off the left end. Just in front of the couch was a large coffee table with dozens of video games and movies laid out. On the wall was a 152-inch flat screen TV with speakers sticking to either side of the screen. Underneath the TV were multiple little shelves, each one holding a different console. The order from top-to-bottom was: PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo 64, GameCube, and the Sega Genesis. There was also a black cupboard directly under the last shelf, which Skye assumed held controllers and even more games. Lastly, over in one corner was a well-stocked bar with three bar-stools, a full mini-fridge, and a pantry full of unhealthy snacks.

Oh yeah. Skye could get used to this.

Just as the elevator dinged, Skye stood up to greet everyone and see the awed looks on their faces. They were all there, with Hunter coming out first upon seeing the shelves behind the bar filled with alcohol. "Bloody hell! This place looks awesome!"

"What's all this?" Jemma asked as the other three looked around.

Skye smiled. "Tony's _second_ gaming room. Completely untouched by the other Avengers. I thought it would be a good place to hang out with my best friends."

Hunter snorted. "Oh, so you remember us now?" he teased.

"Hey!" Skye exclaimed.

"Be nice, Hunter," Bobbi chided. "Skye's only been here for four days."

"Yeah," Fitz agreed. "And she was practically dying for two of those."

Skye smiled. "Good to see you're on my side, Fitz." Fitz gave her his characteristic thumbs-up. However, she looked around at all the others seriously. "Guys, I'm really sorry I haven't been talking to you as much as you or I wanted to. I've really just been trying to wrap my head around everything that's happened lately."

Hunter pulled her into a one-armed hug, a friendly grin on his face. "No problem, love. We get it. You were just confused and needed a minute to yourself."

"Happens to all of us," Bobbi said fondly.

"Although," Hunter said mischievously, "we are all well aware that a great majority of those minutes were spent by having sex with your girlfriend. Totally okay with that, though."

Skye all-but flew out of his hold at the moment and whirled around to face him. "You cheeky little bastard."

As she slowly stalked towards him, Fitz flee dove behind the couch, pulling Simmons with him in order to stay safe from whatever horror was about to ensue. Even Bobbi stepped away. "I know that look," she said to the two behind the couch.

"You never want to be around Skye when she's like that," Jemma told the others.

"Lance Hunter," Skye growled lowly, a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Yes?" Hunter replied, trying to sound as innocent as possible as he was slowly backed into a wall.

"Run!"


	13. This is When They Got Hopelessly Drunk

17:30

Hours later found Hunter stretched out on the couch being sat on by Skye while listening to FitzSimmons telling him all about Doctor Who. Skye was holding a conversation with Bobbi, deciding that the two needed to be caught up to speed about the other's life. Skye learned that Bobbi and Hunter were currently 'on' in their 'off-and-on' relationship, while FitzSimmons finally started dating.

"It only took this long," Skye remarked with an ungraceful snort. "So they've gone on two dates, right?"

"Yeah," Bobbi confirmed with a laugh. "But the two haven't even kissed yet! I swear they move slower than a pair of turtles!"

"You know we can hear you!" Fitz complained from the other side of the couch.

"Well then hurry up and get moving already!" Skye said. "We're saying this for your benefit, Mr. Monkey."

"Mr. Monkey?" Fitz screeched in a very feminine manner.

Skye chortled. "I might as well take away the mister with that scream. I think Monkey is much better anyway. Don't you think so, Jem?"

Jemma had been stifling her laughter this entire time, but when Skye addressed her, she couldn't help the explosion of joy she let out. "I think," she managed after calming down slightly. "I think that Monkey is absolutely delightful."

Skye shot Fitz a devilish smile. "Told ya. Oh, and you're welcome, Jemma. Now, a year from today when you finally make a move, you've got something to call him in the bedroom when you're feeling kinky."

Both Jemma and Fitz gaped at this while the other three broke out into giggle fits. Hunter was laughing so hard that Skye fell off of his stomach with a thump, still too lost in her chuckling to care. Bobbi reached down and gave Skye a high five of satisfaction. "Skye, you're amazing. I love you!"

"Oh, you're about to love me even more," Skye teased. "Everybody, I hereby declare that a drinking game is about to commence. Would you all be so kind as to join me at the bar for alcoholic beverages?"

Skye stood up, followed by the others. Grabbing the nearest bottle of alcohol (which happened to be vodka) and a handful of shot glasses, she sat on top of the bar counter before handing a glass to everyone. She was joined by Hunter as they both sat on the counter, Bobbi and FitzSimmons opting for a more conventional spot on each of the three barstools.

"So what are we going to play?" Fitz asked as Skye filled everyone's glasses.

"We'll get to that in a sec, Monkey," Skye said, bringing an embarrassed blush to the man's cheeks. "First, everyone take a shot. No one leaves here without being at least slightly intoxicated." With that, everyone downed their shots, a grimace coming to Jemma's face.

"This is absolutely putrid," she complained. "Who would drink this?"

Skye gave her a look as she refilled the glasses. "Well, my girlfriend for one. Every Russian to ever exist for another."

"Point taken."

"So what are we doing, love?" Hunter asked. "Remember, the more drinks the better."

Skye looked into the air for a bit, thinking of the best game that would get a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents horribly drunk. "I got it! True or False. One person asks some else a question. That person says if it's true or false. If it's false or they don't answer, the second person takes a shot and then gets to ask the next question. The person with the most shots wins. Bobbi, you go first."

The blonde grinned like a devil, looking straight back at the brunette who mentally face-palmed herself. "Skye, true or false: Natasha is good in bed." Hunter and Fitz both laughed at this, surprised when Skye simply picked up her shot glass and threw it back with a smirk.

"False, Bobbi. Natasha Romanoff is a _goddess_ in bed," she said confidently before looking at Hunter, snickering when he got the deer-in-the-headlights look. "Hunter, tell me true or false: do you wear the pants in your relationship?"

Hunter only had to glance at Bobbi's glaring face for a second before hurriedly downing another shot. "Yeah, I think you already knew the answer to that one, love. Now let's see who's next. Oh, oh, oh, I know: Mr. Monkey. . ."

* * *

Natasha woke up to an empty bed about an hour after Skye left. Assuming her girlfriend just went to the lounge near the breakfast bar, Natasha simply got out of bed and dressed in her clothes from earlier before walking out to the lounge where she found Tony, Coulson, and Clint watching TV.

"What, no girlfriend, Romanoff? Aren't you two attached at the hip or something?" Tony asked as she sat down next to Clint.

"Do any of you know where Skye is?" she asked, ignoring Tony's remark. She couldn't help it if she was just a little protective.

"Don't worry about it, Tasha," Coulson said with a fond smile. "She and the rest of the team are all in the lounge on level 42. Last I checked they were all taking shots."

Tony raised his eyebrows letting out a chuckle. "Who knew the agents could party? I got to get in on this!"

Before Tony could run down there, Coulson stopped him. "Not this time, Stark," he said. "This is their reunion. They haven't had a chance to really talk to Skye since before the mission, and even then she was a selective mute. Let's just let them catch up."

Natasha shook her head. She had a feeling in her gut that she wasn't going to like drunken Skye.

* * *

Fifty-eight questions, fifty collective shots, and a total of five bottles of vodka, scotch, bourbon, whiskey, and more vodka later, it was about 1:00 in the morning. Skye won with fifteen shots under her belt. Surprisingly, Fitz was second with ten. Then Hunter and Bobbi both with nine and Jemma was last with seven. Needless to say, Skye had achieved her goal of everyone being horribly drunk.

Hunter had fallen off the counter-top at some point and was passed out on a nice cozy spot on the ground. Bobbi had retired to the couch, deciding she would stay down in the lounge with Hunter for the night. Jemma had walked (only half-wobbly) with Fitz to their shared room, forgetting in their drunkenness to tell the others they were leaving. Skye was by far the worst. She was lying on top of the counter, a bottle of half-drunken vodka in her hand that she still sipped occasionally. She knew there was no way she could make it to her and Natasha's room without causing herself serious pain from bumping into walls and falling down more than a few times.

Coming up with a plan, she called out to JARVIS. "Hey, JARVIS?" she asked, slurring every letter.

"Yes, Agent Skye," the A.I. responded. "What may I do for you today?"

"Could ya please tell Nat ta come down 'ere 'n' hel' me git ta our room?"

"Of course, Agent Skye."

Skye only had to wait a few minutes until she spotted her girlfriend in the doorway, who was merely raising an eyebrow as she approached the brunette. Stopping in front of her, she looked skeptically at the bottle of vodka in her hands before carefully taking it away, noticing that Skye grew sad upon doing this.

"Skye," she started slowly, "how much have you had to drink?"

Skye pondered a minute before sighing and looking towards her friend on the couch. "Bobbi, can I git a lil' 'elp 'ere?"

"Fifteen shots!" the blonde shouted shocked before hiccupping. "And then we stopped the game, but she kept drinking that bottle of vodka! So much vodka. . ."

Natasha sighed as she picked up the brunette gingerly and carried her bridal style to the elevator, walking over Hunter who had rolled over in his sleep. In a few minutes they were back in their room as Natasha laid Skye on the bed gently.

"Get some sleep, darling," Natasha said, changing into sweats and a tank top before climbing in next to her.

"But 'm not tired," Skye mumbled even though her eyes were already closed. Within seconds, her breathing deepened and even out, signaling that she was asleep.

Natasha held Skye close, planting a soft kiss on her hairline. Perhaps a drunken Skye was okay.

* * *

Author's Note

Yes, I'm aware of how incredibly short this is. I'm really sorry. I'm just trying to get my muse back, so if you see any one-shots or drabbles from me, that's why they're there. I'm not abandoning this. Don't worry. . Anyway, shout-outs to _FabinaForever11_ , _Love-FanFiction13_ , and _carebear02_ for reviews on the last chapter. It really does help and motivate me to write more. I love you guys so much and I'll see you at the next chapter! Until then, my friends. . .


	14. This is When They Fought

_Author's Note: How've you been dears? So I haven't done the disclaimer in a bit, but here it is. I DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ANY CHARACTERS YOU RECOGNIZE. ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE PROPER OWNERS. Now, that that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter._

Avenger's Tower

Status:

Active

Time:

06:00

Skye woke to a pounding headache, a tongue that felt like Death Valley, and a swirling pit of doom in her stomach. "Ugh," she groaned, burrowing deeper into the body next to hers. Natasha laughed quietly as she ran her hand through Skye's hair.

"What's so funny?" Skye asked. "I'm dying."

"That's what happens when you drink, what, two whole bottles of vodka?" the redhead questioned, making Skye wince at how loud her voice was. "Not your best move, darling?"

"No, I know how to hold my liquor. I just was totally not expecting to get that drunk," Skye said popping one eye open. "Tell me I didn't do anything embarrassing."

Smiling, Natasha shook her head, brushing Skye's face with her soft hair. "Not at all. I think you're an adorable drunk." Satisfied with the answer, Skye's face lightened when the redhead planted a kiss on her forehead.

Natasha was right. Definitely adorable.

"You want to get up, darling?" Natasha asked quietly.

Skye frowned. "No," she said hoarsely, "but I should."

Fumbling up and out of bed rather ungracefully, Skye walked over to the door where the bag with her clothes still rested. Sufficiently woken now that she was up and moving, Skye had a much clearer mind and Natasha decided to get out of bed as well, walking over to her dresser while Skye pillaged through the bag for comfortable clothes.

Finally finding and changing into a pair of black mesh piece leggings, a gray long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of simple black Nikes, Skye looked over at Natasha who was dressed similarly in her own workout gear consisting of a light blue tank top and black leggings. They smirked at each other knowingly.

"This is going to be fun," Skye muttered happily.

* * *

Skye stretched her body, walking around on the sparring mat. On the way to the gym, she and Natasha had gained a few followers eager to watch. May, Tony, Steve, Jemma, and Coulson all sat on the sidelines, excited to watch possible the most interesting fight ever.

May walked over to Natasha with a small smirk. "I hope you know I'm putting money on my girl," she said, proudly referring to Skye.

Stunned, Natasha guffawed. "Where's your hope in me?" she asked incredulously.

"I still have it," assured May. "But Tasha, you've never fought Skye before. She's probably as strong and agile as you, Cap, and the Thor combined. Before, we thought it was insane. Now, with everything that's happening, I guess it's just some manifestation of powers."

Natasha frowned. "I've taken on worse than that, Melinda."

May full-on smirked now. "I know, but you've never met anyone as determined as Skye before. It's a whole new challenge."

With those last "encouraging" words, May walked over to Skye with an entirely different tune. "Skye," she said gently to the girl. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Brows furrowing, Skye asked confusedly, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Mya internally smiled at her girl. There was Skye for you. Never fazed by anything. "You need to make sure you're ready to spar with Tasha, Skye. Okay? She's strong and like a fox when it comes the amount of tricks up her sleeve. With all that's happened lately, it might not be best to be training so hard so soon. You sure you don't want Simmons to look you over?"

Skye shook her head. Gone was the girl unable to throw a proper punch without getting winded. No more forgetting which was the magazine or the safety release. No more vulnerability. Even the problems of the previous night's drinking couldn't affect Skye, having already disappeared completely.

That was May's girl, all grown-up.

With a ghost of a smile on her lips, May walked to the center of the mats. her back facing the gathered crowd. She looked between Natasha and Skye and said to them both, "Flat on the back for three seconds or tap out. I couldn't care less if this is a clean fight, but Fury does." She continued mumbling as she stepped out of the line of fire. "We've had enough mess for now." She then waited to receive a nod from both fighters, which she did. "You move on my mark . . . Fight!"

Skye immediately lunged forward with a swinging punch to Natasha's shoulder that missed. The latter retaliated while crouching and tried to sweep Skye's legs out from under her. The brunette jumped clean over them and, anticipating her girlfriend's punch to the stomach, back-flipped out of the way. Rolling forward, the younger agent went on the defensive when Natasha sent a flurry of rapid punches in her direction. She ducked and swerved at all the right times, avoiding every hit.

"This isn't good for Skye," Jemma mumbled from the sidelines.

Tony scoffed. "Kid looks fine to me."

"Tony's right," Steve added, eyes locked on the fight. "Skye looks like she has a good chance at beating Natasha too."

When Natasha had her right arm extended for another punch, Skye saw an opportunity to switch to the offensive; so she grabbed the redhead's arm and twisted it around, flipping the older agent over her back. They both whirled around at the same time in a matter of milliseconds. Skye tried for a roundhouse kick, but Natasha grabbed her leg and flipped her over, just as Skye had done to Natasha. Skye spun around mid-flight, kicking off of Natasha's back. The Black Widow stumbled forward just long enough for Skye to perform a tricky little flip over Natasha so they were face-to-face again.

Skye delivered a well-placed punch to Natasha's left shoulder. With her head now in the game, the redhead artfully dodged a quick series of punches and kicks. While the brunette took a second to breathe, Natasha slid under Skye's legs, spinning around on her knees to, once again, kick Skye's legs out from under her. This time the move worked and Skye fell to the ground. Natasha reached forward and pulled Skye back by an arm under her neck. With Skye in a chokehold, Jemma was incredibly close to shouting for the two to stop. However, that proved to be unnecessary once Skye forcefully hit Natasha with the back of her head I her sternum. The older agent released Skye, stunned, as the younger used a great deal of strength to flip Natasha over, still in a kneeling position. The brunette leapt forward, pinning Natasha's body down with her own. It took three seconds for the match to be declared over. It took three seconds for Natasha to realize just how strong Skye was.

"Alright," May said, signaling for Skye to get up. She did so, pulling Natasha up. "Skye wins. Good match." The agent looked over at Tony. "I'll take my money now, Stark."

Stark grumbled while pulling out his wallet and throwing two fifties to May.

Skye's eyes widened. "You bet a hundred bucks on me?' she asked incredulously.

May shrugged like it was no big deal. "Who else would I bet on?"

Skye smiled as Steve came over tossed her a water bottle. "Thanks, Steve. Enjoy the fight?"

The blonde nodded. "Oh yeah, it was a great match-up between the two of you. Even I can't hold up against Natasha that long.

The brunette quirked an eyebrow as Natasha went over to talk with Coulson. "How long were we going for?"

"About ten minutes," was the impressed reply. Skye slowly nodded with acknowledgement. It had only felt like a single minute had passed. Just another thing to attribute to the powers.

Steve walked away to join Natasha, but he was soon replaced by an annoyed yet astonished Jemma. "Hey, Jem," Skye greeted. "How're you—"

"That was absolutely brilliant—"

"Oh thanks—"

"And incredibly stupid!" Jemma finished. "Do you have any idea what could have happened, Skye? There is a whole world of possibilities. You shouldn't be fighting that hard after just recovering from an injury that you got two days ago! You need to come with me, so Dr. Banner and I can give you a full check-up.

"Oh, come one, Jem. I don't need to—"

"Yeah, you do," Coulson interrupted, coming over to the two women. "Orders from Fury. He won't send out until you've got a full detailed inspection done. He wants to know what these abilities are and the extent of them before he sends you into the potential heart of what's left of HYDRA."

Skye sighed, dropping her arms. "Yes, sir. Let's go, Jemma. I want this thing done and over with ASAP."

* * *

Skye sat impatiently in the long, bed-like chair as both Dr. Banner and Jemma poked and prodded her all over. She could hardly even count the number of needles sticking out of her arm. "Have you taken enough from me yet?" she asked sarcastically.

Dr. Banner smiled. Skye was much better than his usual patients which were the Avengers. "Almost. All that's left is a quick neuro-scan so we can see your brain's activity level. Simmons, if you would, please?"

"Of course." Jemma surprised Skye by pulling out all of the needles right then, instead of giving a three-count or any warning at all really. "My apologies, but studies show that if pain is expected, anxiety levels will only increase. I won't bore you with the whole story."

"No. please do," Skye said. "It's better than nothing."

Dr. Banner chuckled as he prepared some machine and Simmons disposed of all the needles. "You know, Skye, you are by far my best patient." Skye looked at him questioningly. "Yep, even Steve. He's always insisting that he doesn't even need to be here, that he should be training, just like Clint. Natasha tries to do everything herself, says she has all the knowledge to help herself. I don't doubt she does, but I am the doctor in the Tower. Tony just acts like a little kid, even makes me give him a sticker after every shot. Thor moves so much, which makes it hard for me to do anything really."

Skye smiled cheekily as Dr. Banner brought the machine to the side of her head. "Oh man. I'm just imagining Tony sitting in here, pouting like a little kid, only coming if Steve goes with him. Hahahaha."

"Oh, that's exactly what he's like. But you, Skye, you just have—"

Dr. Banner cut himself off as his voice hitched. Jemma looked confused until she looked at the machine as well, gasping in surprise. Skye suddenly grew extremely nervous. "What? What is it? What do I have?"

". . . Something unidentifiable in the center of your brain," Jemma replied.

Skye froze. "I have _what_?"

"I have no idea what it is, but it's foreign for sure," Dr. Banner added, pointing to the machine up against Skye's head. "See, here, a thermal scan is supposed to have red, orange, blue, even green . . . Never in my life have I ever seen or heard of black in a thermal scan."

"My theory: whatever that is, is the reason for your abilities. We just need to figure out what it is and why it's there," Jemma stated.

Skye's heart sped up for a minute. It was the source of her powers, the reason she was so strong and fast and more importantly, alive. It was entirely unheard of too. She just wondered if something was missing. If there was more to her powers that she had yet to discover.

Just then, Natasha appeared in the doorway. "Skye, I've got the specs on your assignment. Pack now. You're leaving in an hour."

That was possibly the worst timing Skye had ever seen.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

Hope you enjoyed this chapter of _HeartBeats._ I know it's been so long since I last updated. My deepest aplogies for that, my friends. Anyway, shout-outs to _SLYNNR, carebear02,_ and _orca3553._ You all left reviews on the last chapter that I appreciate very much. So I'll see you all at the next chapter. Until then, my friends. . .


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